Researching the Spirit-Mind-Body Connection

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MERIDIAN INSTITUTE NEWS 2-2

Vol. 2 No. 2 March, 1998
MERIDIAN INSTITUTE NEWS

Asthma Research Project A Success

Over the past year, five people have been working with Cayce’s recommendations in our Asthma Research Project. When they arrived in Virginia Beach last April to begin the project, they suffered from a range of symptoms and degrees of disability. All had the shortness of breath characteristic of asthma. Some even had difficulty doing the deep-breathing exercises in our autonomic nervous system assessment. Several had other, system-wide symptoms as well, particularly digestive problems. This is relevant, since key elements of Cayce’s therapeutic program include a thorough cleansing of the alimentary canal and careful attention to diet.

Four of the five participants were able to follow the Cayce treatment plan fairly consistently, though some found it a challenge to stick with the diet. They all had substantial improvement on the three scales we used to measure progress: the overall symptom checklist, the activity assessment (measures activities restricted by asthma), and the asthma quality of life questionnaire. On the average, these scales demonstrated that the participants had about half the intensity of symptoms and degree of disability at the six-month point, compared to the beginning. Other aspects of health, especially digestive symptoms, also improved due to the regimen of diet, castor oil packs, colonics, and attention to attitudes and emotions.

One participant was able to document her improvement with a peak flow meter, a device that measures the ability to breathe. She wrote: “This gauge helped me see my oxygen progress. Came blowing 25-150, left Virginia blowing 250-300. Running up my full flight of stairs instead of huffing and puffing.”

Another participant wrote: “One of the ‘small healings’ I reported for July was climbing to a waterfall (no big deal except that this waterfall was in the High Sierras where I usually have great trouble breathing even around a level campground).I am in control of asthma rather than letting an episode happen and then responding to it. I feel much more energy and much more ready to go on to new challenges in meeting my soul’s purpose for this lifetime.”

One of the participants had particularly severe asthma, and was not able to fully participate in the week in Virginia Beach or follow the treatments at home. Even so, she reported to us that the small amount she was able to do clearly helped. She tried Calcidin, a calcium and iodine compound recommended by Cayce and used frequently in his time for respiratory problems. It helped reduce the severity of her attacks. Six months into the project she wrote, “I have been off steroids for 10 weeks (the longest time period in 8 years).I feel Calcidin made the difference in avoiding steroid rebound.”

This is the first project in which we have explored the effectiveness of the electrically-driven vibrator along the spine as part of the treatment plan. Cayce often traced disorders of the internal organs to problems with the spine, and with the coordination of the cerebrospinal nervous system with the sympathetic ganglia on either side of the spine. He preferred osteopathic manipulation as the treatment. Today, however, it is difficult to obtain osteopathic adjustments of the type Cayce recommended. As an alternative, Cayce often suggested a hand-held, electrically-driven vibrator along the spine. While we do not yet have all the data in, it appears that use of the vibrator played a role in the asthma improvement. This is an important addition to our home treatment protocol, since it is easy to train a support person to use the vibrator.

These results are very encouraging. Although no one was completely cured of asthma, the level of improvement equaled or surpassed that of conventional treatment, and in some cases allowed a reduction of medication and the associated side-effects. We have nearly finished a full scientific report on this project which will be published on the Meridian Institute web site when completed.

The Healing Journey

One of the major themes that we have noted in the various projects is how the healing journey is a series of “little healings.” Here are more examples of little healings from one of the participants in the Parkinson’s Disease (PD) research project.

“I recently heard a story from the Old Testament that stopped me dead in my tracks (long enough at least for me to pay attention to its truth in my own life). In I Kings, during a time of drought, Elijah is promised rain by God. He’s so confident, in fact, of God’s promise that he tells Ahab ‘Pack your chariot, it’s going to rain’ even though there’s no manifestation of this promise. He then prays and waits for a long time. Finally a cloud ‘the size of a man’s hand’ appears in the vastness of the sky. Small as this sign is, Elijah takes what he gets and continue his praying.

“The happy ending is that the man-sized hand cloud eventually becomes a thunderhead that fills the heavens drenching the earth with rain.

“My point is (bet you thought I’d never make one) that we each have experienced little hand-sized cloud healings in this experience of using Cayce’s protocols. We may not have experienced a 100% recovery but we each, as David McMillin shared with us, have had little healings during this past year. And that is a BIG DEAL especially for a disease that is ‘incurable.’ After all, we’re ‘supposed to’ be getting worse, not better!!!

2. I’m moving more fluidly (without medication) for example, before I would dread having to get out of bed to go to the bathroom or roll over. Now I’m sometimes rolling over without awakening and getting out of bed with much less exhaustion.

3. Less tremor – I seem to be able sometimes to quiet myself with meditation and breath work and experience a cessation of the tremor. I feel more in charge of the tremor as opposed to previously it controlling me.

4. Greater inner strength and stamina – examples are: I’m walking daily about a mile and doing Yoga most days. I’m not collapsing and wondering how I’m going to do activities of daily living (like fixing meals, writing checks, winding the clock, putting a new roll of toilet paper on the roll, getting ready for bed and opening mail).

5. Because I have more strength and stamina, I’m experiencing less fear of the “what-ifs”. For the past couple years, since my body went on strike, I became increasingly more and more fearful of the ‘what-ifs.’ For example: at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, thinking, I can’t drive to church at 11:00 because ‘what-if’ my body quits and I don’t have energy to drive home?” With greater strength and stamina I am gradually also rebuilding confidence and returning to my pre P.D. ‘can do’ fearless attitude.

6. I’m able to go longer periods Sinemet-free. I take Sinemet (25/100) at 6:00 p.m. then take my next pill at 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. the next morning. Additionally, I’m able to move with greater coordination and speed during those Sinemet-free periods than previously. I can now do activities like get dressed and fix my breakfast whereas I wasn’t able to function in this manner a few months ago without medication.

7. Spiritually I experience a deep knowing that ‘all is well.’ Even at times when this body is not responsive and is doing it’s own thing, there is a stronger inner strength and peace than ever previously. I was given a mantra by my inner physician recently: ‘I am with you, always.’ I feel this promise of Christ to the depths of my soul. The adversity of the challenge of the P.D. diagnosis has certainly brought me closer and more grateful in the Lord.”

Healing Muscular Dystrophy

Participants in our research projects often express a keen interest in how the Cayce health information can be applied for the various medical conditions for which we have readings. Although Meridian Institute has not formally done work with persons with muscular dystrophy (MD), we have provided some support to individuals with this disease. Here is an excerpt from a recent letter which describes the healing journey of a woman applying the Cayce approach to healing MD.

The letter begins with background information documenting the medical diagnosis, symptoms, and her efforts to understand and apply the Cayce approach. She then continues:

“As for some other symptoms, within one month the mental fog began to clear. Within two months the choking episodes subsided and I was able to walk a bit further without tiring. In fact, [a friend] reminded me recently that the first thing I said to her after being on the wet cell for a short time was, ‘I can breathe again.’

“In general, I found that the last symptoms I had developed were the first ones to leave.

“It’s been a year and a half now since I began with the Cayce remedies. I’d love to say it’s been smooth sailing but it hasn’t. I didn’t have the ‘Sleeping Prophet’ to give me an individualized reading, just trial and error and occasional guidance from within and without … But in spite of everything, I’d still estimate I’m about 70% improved and still going strong. I don’t tell people I have MD, I say I was diagnosed with it. Say what you will, there’s a difference.

“Maybe I should have waited to write this until I could say I was 100%, but being from New York and always in a rush, I couldn’t wait any longer to share my experience in case it could be helping you in the meantime.”